thrash metal

Wretched US Tour 2010 (Oct 17 - Nov 12)

US metal outfit Wretched will embark on an extensive tour of their homeland come October in support of their new album, Beyond the Gate.
Tour Dates: 
17/10/2010 - 12/11/2010

In support of their latest release, Beyond the Gate, Wretched will be headlining the 'Beyond the Gate Tour' with openers Havok and Armed for Apoca

Grand Magus - Hammer of the North (Roadrunner) - take 2

The old school never sounded so resplendent. Grand Magus deserve their title as metal royalty and Hammer of the North cements their rightful place on the throne. You will remember their name!
Release Date: 
22 Jun 2010 - 11:30pm

I know that I'm a bit pedantic when it comes to my metal. Oh, their riff sags at 3:30-3:46. No tick in the box for you.

Maniacal – Buried In Hell (Independent)

Port Pirie in South Australia isn’t a town that’s known for much. Mining, drinking, fighting, lead poisoning… oh yeah, and a leader of the opposition came from up that way too but not much else. And musically, well you could count the bands on one hand and still have four fingers and a thumb left. Until now, that is.

Maniacal have defied all logic, all sense of place, all boundaries of sensibility and formed in the middle of shithole country SA, back of nowhere with nowhere all around, and what

Tarot - Gravity of Light (Nuclear Blast/Riot)

Crushtor writes an open letter to frontman and bass/acoustic guitarist of Tarot, Mr. Marco Hietala about his new record, Gravity of Light.
Release Date: 
7 Jun 2010 (All day)

Dear Marco Hietala,

Idols Are Dead - Mean (SPV/Riot)

Italian rockers Idols Are Dead are lucky that I tend to ignore the promo stickers on album covers. Mentioning, amongst others, Metallica, Exodus and Megadeth, the band was definitely being set up for a fall; but luckily for them, their brand of metal hits hard and fast. More importantly, it has a real sense of rhythm and pace.

Mean, the debut album for Idols Are Dead, is short and sharp - just nine songs.

Arsis - Starve for the Devil (Nuclear Blast/Riot)

Arsis is back and they’re here to rock your bones and melt your face off! No further explanation required – this record ROCKS!

I remember when I first got into Arsis; I put on their (then) latest record, We Are The Nightmare and recall my jaw almost hitting the floor.

Immortal - All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast/Riot)

One can hardly accuse the raw satanic power of Immortal for being the sole cause of stagnation in black metal, but in All Shall Fall, their nervous dip of the toe into the icy waters of progression sounds admirable, but dated.

Taking seven years off from a passion either renews it with verve or kills it completely.

Divine Eve - Vengeful and Obstinate (Ibex Moon)

Since I like to think I have some sort of integrity as a critic, I force myself to listen to any album, no matter how shit, at least three times, before writing an opinion about it. So every now and then, it's nice to get given an EP that goes for less than 20 minutes. This is not painful to listen to, mind you: just incredibly plain.

Divine Eve is one of those bands - like your local pub band of 20-somethings who've been together since high school - that gives the impression that it has completely mastered

Sonata Arctica and Ensiferum with Vanishing Point @ Billboard (Melbourne), 5 Jan 2010

Ripping down the trendy techno club from the walls, the all Finnish (well, almost) power metal extravaganza kicked its way around Melbourne, leaving Aussie metal punters craving more.
Event Reviewed: 
Sonata Arctica and Ensiferum with Vanishing Point @ Billboard (Melbourne), 5 Jan 2010

On the weekends, Billboard the Venue turns into Billboard the horrible dance party.